Marching to heaven or marching to hell, foreign projects in Africa in relation to the environmental crisis: A case study of Wizard of the Crow

Since its publication in 2006, Ngugi wa Thiong'o's English translation of Wizard of the Crow has captivated the interest of academics and critics alike. The novel has been debated and researched from various viewpoints, employing multiple theories and methodologies. Some scholars focus on topics such as politics, authoritarian regimes, gender issues, economic inequality, corruption, and environmental challenges. However, the researcher believes that more research on ecological concerns in Wizard of the Crow, particularly regarding the "Marching to Heaven" theme, is urgently needed. In this research, the "Marching to Heaven" motif refers to foreign direct investment projects conducted in Africa, while its ecological impacts are seen as a "Marching to Hell." The researcher examines the "Marching to Heaven" motif in this study because it threatens African ecological well-being. The researcher uses an ecocriticism approach and a revised concept of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a metaphor. A revised version of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is utilized as a metaphor to illustrate the trend of deteriorating environmental values, which may be demonstrated in a selected novel using the ecocriticism approach.   Key words: Marching to heaven, marching to hell, ecocriticism, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and the revised Maslow’s environment hierarchy of needs model.